God With Us
Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 1:18-24 – This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Joseph…do not be afraid…”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Notice that in the Scriptures, when an angel of the Lord appears with a message of revelation to mankind, often the recipient of the message is afraid. This is what happens to John’s father, Zechariah, to a group of shepherds, to Joseph, and even to Mary (though Mary’s fear is of a different and better quality) around the time of the birth of Christ. The Gospel from today’s Mass presents the case of Joseph. Joseph is afraid to take Mary into his home, since she has mysteriously been found pregnant—an extremely difficult personal, social, and legal situation for both Mary and Joseph. So the angel begins his message to Joseph, “Joseph…do not be afraid,” before revealing to Joseph that Mary’s child is from the Holy Spirit.
When God works in our lives, He doesn’t simply ask us to do things we can already handle. If He asked only these things, we would never grow. Instead, God often asks of us things that are too big for us to handle. (Do we have any of these challenges in our lives right now?) When God asks something difficult (too difficult) of us, fear is the wrong response: fear that God will allow us to be crushed, fear that God is perhaps being cruel, fear that God expects us to handle the situation alone…. When God asks something too difficult for us, it is because He intends to help and to provide what we cannot. So, difficult situations are opportunities for us to grow in faith. If Joseph had run away in fear, he would have missed Christ Jesus, who God was giving to him! If we run away in fear, we risk missing the same thing. Do not be afraid! God is constantly trying to give us Himself!
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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